This invention relates to toothbrushes and more particularly a toothbrush for training the user to brush with a correct technique.
It has been established in dental hygiene that tooth brushing should be carried out by brushing in the up and down direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush. Such correct brushing technique enables the toothbrush to clean the gaps between the teeth properly and thoroughly. More importantly, the gums are massaged with such action to pull towards the teeth so as to maintain them healthy and decease resistant. Gums deceases may cause many dental disorders.
In using a conventional toothbrush, the user tends to brush in the longitudinal direction of the toothbrush and transverse to the teeth, sideways from the left hand side to the right hand side or vice versa. Such sideways brushing action not only fails to clean the gaps between the teeth in which food particles are located, it also could cause damage to the gums. The decay of the food particles lodged in teeth gaps and crevices causes the breakdown of the teeth enamel to form cavities. Children particularly tend to brush in such incorrect manner.
Toothbrushes have been developed such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,451 to J. R. Moore et al, which emits a warning signal to the user when brushing in the incorrect manner. The construction of such toothbrushes is complex such that they are difficult and costly to produce. Moreover, the user may simply ignore the warning signal and continues to brush incorrectly. Therefore, such toothbrushes do not provide the intended purposes in practice, since they do not provide a positive means to prevent the user from brushing incorrectly.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush which is operative only when the user brushes in a correct up and down manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush which is simple in construction yet it operates effectively.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush which has few component parts and is easy and inexpensive to produce.
The toothbrush comprises a handle having an elongated channel formed therein. The channel has a front opening. Two abutment members are formed at the front opening and extending towards one another. A brush member having an elongated body is slidably inserted into the channel of the channel. A latching means is provided at the end portion of the channel, and an associated latching means is formed at the end portion of the elongated body of the brush member. The latching means and the associated latching means are engageable with one another to secure the brush member mounted on the handle when the brush member is brushed in an up and down direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the brush member. The latching means and the associated latching means will disengage with one another when the brush member is brushed in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the brush member.